Gastrochilus japonicus is native to Japan, Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan. In Japan, this orchid is found on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Yakusima and Sakisima...
Gastrochilus japonicus also called as The Yellow Pine Orchid, The Japan Gastrochilus, Gastrochilus holttumianus, Gastrochilus taiwanianus, Saccolabium japonicum, is a species of the genus Gastrochilus. This species was described by Rudolf Schlechter in 1913.
IDENTIFY GASTROCHILUS JAPONICUS
Gastrochilus japonicus is native to Japan, Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan. In Japan, this orchid is found on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Yakusima and Sakisima. In the Ryukyu Islands, these plants meet in the mountain forests on the Nishime-dake summit, also in several locations on the island of Okinawa, and on the islands of Ishigaki, Iriomote and Amami-Osima. In Taiwan, they are found in forests on the entire island, at heights of 500-2000 m.
The Yellow Pine Orchid is a miniature, warm to cold growing epiphyte, which reaching up to 8 cm tall, with a short, 3-8 cm long stem enveloped by imbricating leaf bases and carrying fleshy, linear-oblong, somewhat falcate, acute, unequally bilobed apically, 5-10 cm long and 1.0-1.5 cm wide leaves.
The Japan Gastrochilus blooms in the fall on axillary, hanging, shorter than the leaves, densely 2 to 7 flowered inflorescence. The flowers are up to 2 cm in diameter. The petals of both whorls are light yellow or yellowish-green and have pinkish-purple spots and dots on the inside. The bag of lip is white with yellow streaks, and at the base yellow with red dots. The lip of the lip is greenish with a yellow middle part and red dots.
GASTROCHILUS JAPONICUS CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Gastrochilus japonicus needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. The light should be filtered or dispersed, and the plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight in the afternoon hours. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
It is a plant with moderate thermal requirements. In summer, the average day temperature is 25-26 ° C, at 17-18 ° C at night, with a daily amplitude of 7-9 ° C. In winter, the average daytime temperatures are 19-20 ° C and the night 9-10 ° C, with a daily amplitude of 10 ° C.
Humidity:
The Japan Gastrochilus needs the humidity of almost 90% from the end of spring until the beginning of autumn, and then drops to 80-85% for the rest of the year.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Due to the hanging habit, it is easier to grow Gastrochilus japonicus attached to the flakes of tree ferns. However, such plants require high humidity, and during hot and dry weather, they should be watered several times a day.
They can also be grown in shallow pots or baskets filled with very loose, fast drying ground with excellent drainage and good aeration, which allows for quick drying after watering. You can use medium granulation of fir bark or pieces of tree fern fiber with the addition of coarse pearlite and / or chopped sphagnum moss, which simultaneously increases the permeability of the substrate and allows moisture retention. The addition of charcoal helps to ensure permeability and prevents soda.
The plants should be repotted immediately if the substrate begins to decompose. It's best to do it when new roots start growing. This will allow the plant to adapt to the new substrate in the shortest possible time.
Watering:
Throughout the year, rainfall is moderate to heavy, with a short 1-2-month slightly drier period in winter. The cultivated plants should often be watered during active growth, but the roots must always dry quickly after watering. The substrate around the roots can never be desiccated or soggy. The amount of water should be slightly reduced when new increments reach maturity in the autumn.
Fertilizer:
During the active growth, the plants should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. From spring to mid-summer, you can use fertilizer enriched with nitrogen, switching to phosphorus-enriched fertilizer in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Watering in winter can be somewhat reduced, especially in the case of Gastrochilus japonicus grown in darker places, in the conditions of a short day typical of higher latitudes. However, do not deprive the plants of water for a longer period. Fertilization should be eliminated until new growths appear and more watering begins in the spring.
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